


Magic Tattoos

by shadowfaerieammy



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Magic au I guess?, Mari and Adrien are 18, late miraculous au, magic tattoo au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-10 09:30:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10434726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowfaerieammy/pseuds/shadowfaerieammy
Summary: Based on a prompt posted by Auideas on tumblr: After turning 18, every kid is required to go to a special tattoo parlor where the town’s resident mage gives them a tattoo. No one knows what the tattoo will be until it’s done, even the mage. The tattoo forms itself into a symbol that will become very important in the person’s life.Marinette is 18 and it's time for her to get the tattoo that symbolizes a turning point in her life. She's not sure that she wants a pattern of ink to tell her how her life will change.In this au, Mari and Adrien are 18 and his birthday is before hers. They live in a universe where magic exists, but is not particularly common. They do not have their miraculouses yet.





	

Marinette, like everyone else in her town, got her first tattoo at the age of 18. It became a law in the fifties, though it’s not very clear why. She thought it might be because the tattoos drawn by the mages formed a symbol of importance. Each person’s mark symbolized something life-changing for that person, so Marinette believed the law was for the sake of the people, though she wasn’t sure she wanted an image not chosen by her to embellish her skin forever.

Despite her lack of confidence in the regulation, she followed the rules and arrived at the Miraculous Parlor at 10am the morning of her 18th birthday for her scheduled appointment. Inside the parlor was a plain white room filled with chairs, a reception desk in the corner.

Marinette approached the desk, nervous. “Hi,” she said to the small old man, so small he nearly disappeared behind the desk. “I’m Marinette. I have an appointment at 10am.”

The man smiled and walked around the desk to the side. “Follow me.” He led her through an inconspicuous brown door leading to a hallway of equally inconspicuous white doors. At any moment she expected him to stop and lead her into a room, but he didn’t. Instead, he lead her all the way to the end of the hall and through a door labeled Employees Only. Behind it were several colored doors: red, black, purple, yellow, orange, blue, and green.

He knocked on the red door, then opened it when a soft voice answered. “Tikki is ready for you.”

She stepped inside and he closed the door behind her.

The room was oddly charming. The walls were white painted with small ladybugs, and the tattoo table was red with black spots. Sitting at a desk in the corner was a black-haired woman. She stood and turned to Marinette.

Tikki didn’t look much older than Marinette, but she knew better than to assume the age of a mage; they can be tricky. She’d heard rumors of the owner being at least two hundred years old, though the sources weren’t all reliable. Tikki’s short black hair contrasted heavily with the vivid red of her dress and her blue eyes. Standing full height she was easily a few inches shorter than Marinette, making her seem harmless in this stressful (at least for Marinette) situation.

“Hi Marinette! I’ll be working with you today. Do you know where you want your tattoo?”

Marinette nodded, rubbing her arms. It was a bit cold in there, though it would be even colder once they started. “My shoulder.”

Tikki smiled, a laugh restrained, as if she understood a joke Marinette had no part in.

As per Tikki’s instruction, Marinette laid on her stomach on the table with her camisole strap pulled down away from her shoulder, leaving the area bare. Tikki turned on some soft music and began.

Since nobody ever knew what the mark would be, even the artist, a session could last anywhere from a single hour to an entire work-day.

However, in this case, Tikki had an idea as to what image would develop before she even began.

It was over a week until Marinette first saw her mark. At first it was healing, then she was so busy with school and work that she forgot. But honestly, she was making excuses; she didn’t want to know what would change her life forever.

She found the box before she saw the tattoo.

Marinette hardly used the tattered red purse she brought to the parlor. She ran late and grabbed the first thing she could find, her usual pink purse lost somewhere in the chaos of her designing area. When the weekend came and Sabine sent her out on an errand, Marinette grabbed the red bag and went on her way. It wasn’t till she returned from her trip to the store and threw her purse onto her bed that the small wooden box slipped out.

When she took out a pair of red earrings, she didn’t expect a quantic god to pop out with a story about giving powers to good-hearted humans with the intent to protect the city. Marinette met her partner, a charmingly silly blond catboy with familiar eyes, who seemed much more excited about their partnership than she did. Sure, they would be defending a city together, but she didn’t understand why he looked at her with such a broad smile.

A few days later, when she got a glance of the tattoo on her shoulder in the mirror after a shower, she knew. Inked into her shoulder was a depiction of a black cat and a ladybug chasing each other, forming the symbol of yin and yang. She smiled, and laughed; she didn’t need a magic tattoo to realize that being Ladybug and working with Chat Noir would change her life.


End file.
